My state senator and representative

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Political Science Paper

06 July 2015

The state representative for Texas is Sergio Muñoz and the senator is Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa. Sergio is a conservative democrat (Baker Institute March 14, 2011) while Hinojosa is a moderate democrat (The Texas Tribute July 10, 2013). The aim of this paper is to identify two areas in which I agree with these two representatives and two areas in which I disagree with them.

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One area in which I agree with the state representative’s opposition to the funding proposals contained in the House Budget 1. This is because it strips some departments of crucial funding that was recommended in the initial budget estimates. Some of the areas where funding was reduced include public education ($2.2 billion), Medicaid ($460 million), transportation and infrastructure ($1.5 billion), and boarder security funding ($565 million) (Muñoz, Jr. June 1, 2015). I support Muñoz’s view that $1.5 billion constitutes too little funding for public education. To demonstrate this, Muñoz argues that the funding proposals, if approved, will create a situation in which some schools will end up with funding levels that are even below the ones they got following the funding cuts of 2011. I concur with Muñoz that inflation should have been accounted for in reducing the funding to ensure that public schools did not end up with too little money. It is true that such reductions may create a handicap for those schools in their efforts to meet essential operational expenses during the current financial year.

The second area in which I agree with Muñoz is that budget cuts should not be accompanied with an increase in taxes. In the past, positive results have been achieved in Texas following budget cuts that were implemented without necessarily increasing taxes. I agree with this view because it is unfair to impose a huge tax burden on citizens at a time when service delivery is expected to suffer a blow due to reduced budgetary allocations to essential areas such as education and border security. Texans may feel that they are getting a bad deal by having both budget cuts and tax increases implemented at the same time. Indeed, such drastic measures may worsen the economic situations for most Texans.

I disagree with Sergio Muñoz on the issue of deploying DPS troopers to reinforce border security. Muñoz is opposed to the deployment of the troopers, arguing that they will not alleviate the perennial problems within the administrative system such as medical screening and sheltering of immigrants (Muñoz, Jr. June 25, 2014). He argues that he will only support the deployment of DPS troopers on condition that their core mission will not be to act as implementers of checkpoints and immigration officials but instead focus solely on law enforcement issues. I disagree with his view because implementation of checkpoints and handling processes relating to immigration is an integral part of law enforcement.

I also disagree with the representative’s argument that additional funding for security agencies in Texas, particularly those operating in inner cities, can cure the various problems that arise from increased focus on tasks relating to border security. In my view, police chiefs need to reassess their mode of operation in order to be able to mobilize resources to priority areas such as sheltering and screening of immigrants. I think such a move would be much in tune with the state’s overarching objective of ensuring that that limited financial resources are used prudently. Again, the representative contradiction by opposing the deployment of DPS troopers to man borders while at the same time calling for the allocation of more financial resources to border security. 

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I agree with Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa on the issue of the role that Texas game wardens and rangers should play in reinforcing border security. Senator Hinojosa argues that the number of game wardens and rangers operating within the Rio Grande Valley be increased (Themonitor.com. February 13, 2015). It is a good that the senator is planning to submit this proposal to the Texas Senate because it is long overdue. In this proposal, Hinojosa also indicates that there is a need for a training facility to be established with a view to help the officers operating in the Valley to understand the main challenges it presents (Themonitor.com. February 13, 2015). I support the idea of deploying rangers and game wardens because it is cost-effective, and it may fit in with the state’s decision to implement budget cuts on border security. Moreover, the proposal gives the state a fallback strategy in case the deployment of DPS troopers proves to be too expensive an undertaking.

Moreover, I agree with senator Hinojosa’s argument regarding same-sex marriages. The Texas senator argues that same-sex couples should be at liberty to enter into a marriage as well as treated with the respect and dignity they deserve (Texasformarriage.org March, 5, 2015). It is true that opposition to these marriages occurs primarily because of the view of gays as “different”. I agree that every individual has a right to be different in any way he chooses to, and this includes being gay.

I disagree with Hinojosa that game wardens and rangers should be stationed in the Rio Grande Valley permanently. This is because doing so may turn out to be ineffective and counterproductive. Even with the provision of requisite training, the wardens and rangers may be the best people to man the border. For examples, rangers are primarily trained to handle issues relating to corruption and major crimes but they their scope of operation is not restricted to border security.  Similarly, wardens receive training that is more or less like that of police officers. Whereas this may be viewed as an advantage, it may create operational complications if efforts are made to restrict their day-to-day professional work to aspects of border security. Another weakness is that although game wardens have always been assisting Border Patrol and DPS troopers, they are not mandated to play any role in enforcing federal immigration law. In essence, their deployment should be merely a stop-gap measure aimed at enabling the state reach the level of economic prosperity that can enable it to afford the deployment of DPS troopers.

The other area in which I disagree with senator Hinojosa is about his argument that the problems being encountered in the enforcement of border security are unique, and that only game wardens and rangers are best suited to address them. On the contrary, DPS troopers possess superior professional attributes that put them in a situation where they are in a better position to acclimatize to the “uniqueness” of the border-security in Texas in general and the Rio Grande Valley in particular. Similarly, it is wrong for the senator to argue that deploying DPS troopers amounts to throwing money at problems. In this regard, the senator seems to ignore important facts relating to the capabilities of the troopers, which are in most cases superior to those of wardens and rangers.

Works Cited

Baker Institute. Identifying liberals and conservatives in the Texas House after 60 days. March 14, 2011. Online.

Muñoz, Jr., Sergio. Rep Muñoz: Immigration. June 25, 2014. Online.

Muñoz, Jr., Sergio. Representative Muñoz’s Statement on Budget. June 1, 2015. Online.

Texasformarriage.org. Texas Senator Hopes His State Will Share His Acceptance for His Daughter. March, 5, 2015. Online.

The Texas Tribute. Guest Column: A (Texas) Liberal in a Red State. July 10, 2013. Online.

Themonitor.com. Hinojosa wants Rangers, game wardens to secure border — not troops. February 13, 2015. Online.